P.Pictus - The Adam Jones of Geckos

[ctnjoker]

The title is a reference to the rock band "Tool," and the guitarist, Adam Jones, who is known for famously spreading mis-information and keeping his guitars and gear shrouded in mystery. (People believed him when he said a certain paint changed the tone of his guitar....paint.)

Anyways, there seems to be almost NO information about these little critters, and the info I have found contradicts itself.

I know they come from Southern Madagascar, but where exactly? Any photos?

My reason for asking, is because my girlfriend and I picked up a pair of these guys about 2 months ago. They are healthy and de-stressed, we know the basics on how to care for them. They eat regularly, ect.

But I wanted to spruce up their habitat, and being a long-time Crestie owner, I take great joy in making the terrarium look as close to the natural habitat as possible.

So what kinds of plants surround them? Trees? Soil? Sand? I've heard "jungle," "desert," "forest," "arid forest," "mountains," ect. I've attatched some (contradicting) pictures of Madagascar...

Where the heck do they come from?!

 

[Lordoftheswarms]

Ask Bill Love maybe. He's made a bunch of herping trips to Madagascar.

 

[gymnodactylus]

Paroedura picta are found in tropical dry forest in southern and southwestern Madagascar.
You might want to check out this book:
FIELD GUIDE TO THE AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES OF MADAGASCAR
Frank Glaw and Miguel Vences
(2007)
Features over 700 species of Madagascar's amphibians and reptiles plus coverage of the island's flora, invertebrates, freshwater fishes, and birds. Individual species accounts provide the biology and description of all Malagasy amphibians and reptiles. Illustrated with over 1500 color photographs, range maps, illustrated ID keys, and extensive bibliography.
496 pp.
FIELD GUIDE TO THE AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES OF MADAGASCAR (3rd - Zoo Book Sales / Serpent's Tale NHBD
Pricey but worth every penny!

 

[Mykey93]

I've found these guys in your "typical" looking rainforest. Leaf litter, small plants around them and logs. I was there last month and found one or two around on the floor.

 

[CSMGecko]

These guys are also known as Madagascar ground geckos. They do live on the forest floor in leaf littere and dig in the soil. I have been keeping them for a while now and have found the best temps are 70-85 temp gradient. That is when they seem to be most active. Also they are very fragile and can not withstand high falls, so keep anything they climb on close to the ground. I was keeping them on eco earth because they seem to want to dig alot but it got too hard to find the eggs in a 20 gallon long. I was instructed though that eco earth can be bad for them since it is an expanding substrate and to use a peat moss and vertmiculite mixture. They need humidity and a misting 2-3 times per week.

Over all these little guys are quite easy to care for and are very active at dusk. The hardest thing I have come across is trying to harvest their eggs since any little pressure seems to crack the egg, so if your pair breeds then be very careful removing the eggs. I still haven't found a great way to remove the eggs. Any ideas from anyone working with these guys?